In which Pez wastes space on your friends list!

[pez]

I was just thinking how many people around here don't actually speak English as their first language. On my flist, I have Chinese (Mainland/HK, and I don't know if Taiwanese and Singaporeans like to call themselves Chinese), Filipino, Brazilian, Portugese, French, German, Norwegian, Finns (is that the right word?), Argentinian, Vietnamese, Indonesian... and others I can't think of right now because I lost some brains through my nose this morning. XD

I know we all mostly write in English because that's the language most understands around here. My question is, how come everyone's English is so good? Is it because you live/lived overseas? You learned it in school and keep practising online? You love reading English books?

Don't mind me, I'm just curious. XD Here, watch Roy dance.

Comments

[monitorscreen.livejournal.com]

For me, I learn mostly from reading and fandom; early schooling probably helps too.

I started reading Harry Potter in English because I didn't want to wait for the translation to publish. Then Lord of the Rings because I wanted to know all those songs and poems unmangled by translation. Then I just go on to more English fantasy fictions like Dragonlance, The Song of Ice and Fire and The Wheel of Time, because it is really difficult to sort out all those made-up terms after translation.
(For the record I still read a lot of books translated into Chinese, since that is faster.)

I first got into the English fandom of LOTR because the Chinese fandom I got into contact with sucks. After that I never return until very recently to the Chinese POT fandom. I think those years in the English fandom, particularly the HP years contribute most significantly to my English, especially in the vocabulary and style fronts - I had the honour to read the works of some really good writers. I learn more vocabs online because online dictionaries are more convenient; I hardly ever check with the dictionary when I read real books.

Then of course, the English syllabus in my primary school - which is actually pretty advance compared to the average in HK - lay the basis for all the above self-learning. Also, my pronunciations aren't too horrid because my English teacher back then taught us how to pronounce words according to their spellings. That is a pretty crude way to learn pronunciation though, so I still mispronounce from time to time ;-)

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

Back in my days (haha), I think there were only 3 types of schools in HK... the typical Chinese type, the English-wannabe type (like St Paul's in Causeway Bay) and the foreign type (like King George V). It seems to still be the same, although I think people now have a more active approach towards English. Though from my experience with people, it doesn't matter which school you went to, just your enthusiasm... well, and your teacher. Kinda depends on how lucky you get? XD;

I've heard that HP has very good writers. Sometimes I think it's a shame I'm not into HP....

(Song of Ice and Fire! I'm still waiting for the next book to come out.....)

I'm not too fond of books translated into Chinese, but usually only because people's names become a bunch of long words which I usually don't bother trying to process, and just recognise the shapes and skim over as I read. So I'd finish a whole book not knowing the actual names of the characters. XD;;;;

[monitorscreen.livejournal.com]

Rest assured, the system is still more-or-less the same. More school were forced to change into the typical Chinese type, but the basic components are the same. My school is what you call the English wannabe type. I think the school syllabus is an important factor, though, because we were learning Pr.2 things when we were in Pr.1, and were studying things taught in junior high syllabus when we were in Pr.5. It did lay better basis than some other schools.
Then of course, a lot depends on yourself; I have schoolmates with lesser English skills too. I think what the school does is give us the basics, and however much we can achieve above that is our own doings.

Yes, many HP writers are splendid. But then I suppose every fandom has it share of great writers, it's just that HP has a larger pool to draw from.

(I'm still crawling through A Feast For Crows...)

That too. I abandon Chinese translation of HP forever because the translated names in Goblet of Fire are horrid. Also I can't bear the butchering of the spells *sighs* And have you tried Dragonlance in Chinese? The people's names are okay, but the places' names... I mean, Xak Tsaroth and Pax Tharkas? I'll admit defeat, thanks XD